As a new generation of older adults looks to redefine retirement, there is a growing focus on wellness, work and volunteerism. Your local senior center is the place to find tools for staying healthy and involved or information about benefits.

This September, the Orange County Department on Aging invites the community to learn more about its programs and services during National Senior Center Month. The Seymour Center and the Central Orange Senior Center should be at the top of your list when you are looking for new classes and adventures this fall. We have some of the best instructors in the Triangle, and the Seymour Center is one of the finest facilities in North Carolina.

The following is just a sampling of what we offer in September. We invite you to pick up the current issue of Senior Times for a complete listing of our programs.


Seymour Center

The Seymour Center will hold a Newcomers Coffee on Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. Janice Tyler, the senior centers' administrator, and her staff will host an informal discussion. Find out how the Senior Center can be a resource for wellness, lifelong learning, access to benefits and meaningful opportunities. Ask questions and join us on a tour of the Seymour Center.

Monday Afternoon Teas are changing. Rather than a weekly tea, we will host a Royal Tea once or twice a month. It will be a step above any tea we have ever offered. Join us on Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. for a Chocolate & Tea Party in honor of Milton Hershey's birthday.

The Village Elders in dialogue with UNC Scholars will resume on Sept. 18 at 2:30 p.m. with a lecture by Anne Whisnant, director of the office of faculty goverance at UNC. She will speak on "Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History."

The classic book-film series coordinated by Frank Wilson has become a popular Thursday evening event. Join us on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. for a viewing of "Mrs. Dalloway," from the novel by Virginia Woolf. On the following Thursday there will be a group discussion for those who have also read the book.

Join us on Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m. for the monthly potluck. We will serve spaghetti. You bring a side dish or dessert. Our entertainment for the evening will be The Cook County Band, performing bluegrass selections.

Plans are under way for our first Art and Craft Show, to be held Nov. 15. Anyone interested in helping organize this special event is invited to join a committee. Please join us on Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. for our planning meeting. For information, call Cydnee Sims at 969-3025.

The Prime Time Players are back. Whether you are a beginner who would like a class in acting techniques or an experienced performer who wants to strut your stuff, the Prime Time Players wants you.

We have a beautiful theater. A play committee is reviewing more than 16 plays featuring seniors, and we have planned activities including a program of theater games and a short performance, a December production including several short plays and an improvisational theater class.

Now we need you -- aspiring or seasoned actors, directors and playwrights. We also need help with lighting, sound, costumes and scenery.

Learn to enhance your creativity in a safe environment with our Improvisational Theatre class. The facilitator is Marv Axelrod, who comes to PTP with years of acting experience and recent improv sessions at the Seymour Center.

Perhaps you'd like a class in auditioning, directing or playwriting. Let us know. Call Mary Ann Freedman at 967-5883 or e-mail mary@3dchor.com. Our next performance is Sept. 20 at 3 p.m.

We are pleased to announce a two-part series co-sponsored by the Orange County Department on Aging and the Orange County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension addressing "Rising Energy Costs -- What It Means to Me." Join us Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. This program will provide both familiar and innovative techniques for reducing energy usage and accessing renewable energy alternatives. Topics to be covered during the first session of the program include an overview of our energy history, forecasts, ways we could respond and energy conservation. The second session will address transportation and development, including food and manufacturing, renewable energy and conservation programs. To register, contact the Orange County Center of NC Cooperative Extension at 245-2053. The deadline for registration is Sept. 19.

This is the workshop that everyone needs -- "Getting Clutter out of Your Life." Join us Sept. 12 at 10:30 a.m. Are your "things" overwhelming your lifestyle? Come and join a group of us who are interested in decluttering our lives. Our last meeting was so inspiring that the group requested bimonthly meetings. Jane Armstrong will facilitate each session, helping us learn how to become motivated in decluttering your "extra" possessions, techniques to take the first step in cleaning out your space, and sharing ideas with other participants. Sign up at the front desk or call 968-2070 to register.

The Seymour Center has classes to expand your knowledge and give you new skills.

The Senior Net Learning Center has seven classes scheduled for September.

In the arts, we offer Basic Learning to Draw, Pastels, Oils, Watercolor and, new this fall, Chinese Brush Painting.

We have all levels of Spanish classes, co-sponsored with CHICLE.

We have short workshops, as well as nine-week classes in bridge. And of course, several bridge games happen weekly at the center. Fitness classes are one of our specialities. Dancing, T'ai Chi, Strength Training, Qi-Gong, Yoga, NIA and Pilates are available as well. Call the center at 968-2070 for a complete listing of classes.

Our next overnight trip is to Vermont, Oct. 12-16. Only a few seats remain. The cost is $715 for a single-occupancy room and $675 for double. Call the center for details.

For our holiday trip, join us on a Christmastime cruise through Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. Call Cydnee Sims, program coordinator, at 969-3025.


Central Orange Senior Center

The new Central Orange Senior Center at the SportsPlex is nearing completion. We are scheduled to move in this December. In the meantime, please visit us at our current location at 515 Meadowlands Drive. We are now open on Monday evenings. Join us for a game of bid whist or dance the night away with Jukebox Jenny.

The UNC Division of Occupational Science will conduct "Out and About," a six-part series focused on increasing your ability to get around in the local community, as well as traveling to distant places. This class is scheduled for Tuesdays, Sept. 16-Oct. 21, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. It will take a comprehensive view of mobility and address areas such as getting around safely and effectively using available transportation options, maintaining safe driving skills throughout the aging process, assessing your community for pedestrian safety and accessibility, and finding resources and assistance when traveling. The class is free, but please call the center at 245-2015 to register.

We will offer CarFit on Sept. 30 from 1 to 5 p.m. CarFit is the first program to offer older adults the opportunity to check how their cars "fit" them. Trained technicians will lead drivers through a 12-point checklist with their car, recommend vehicle adjustments and adaptations and offer community specific resources and activities that could make their cars "fit" better or enhance their safety. Occupational therapists will be on hand to provide information to drivers on how to maintain and strengthen driving health. This service is free. Please call 245-2015 to register.

Join us on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, beginning Sept. 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. for our new Knitting & Crochet Circle. This is a time to work on your own project with an opportunity to learn new stitches or share your knowledge.

The monthly potluck dinner will be on Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. -- an all-American cookout with hamburgers and all the fixings. The center will provide the hamburgers, buns, and tea, and you provide toppings, sides, and desserts. Entertainment provided by Mebanesville (Part 1), an Americana roots band. Call the center to register.

Free glucose and cholesterol screenings will be offered on Sept. 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. By appointment only. Call the center at 245-2015.